


Nighttime Walk

by doeful



Category: Lost
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 19:11:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18505282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doeful/pseuds/doeful
Summary: Scientists don't study people, do they?





	Nighttime Walk

February 17th, 1974

 

The jungle night was, as usual, hot and humid. A harsh chorus of crickets echoed from the surrounding jungle and the patches of greenery alongside the trimmed, maintained sidewalk paving its way through the barracks. The only light in the small neighborhood came from the streetlamps on either side of the path, shedding deep yellow light on the abandoned pathways. There was not a set curfew, but it was generally agreed that after 9pm everyone would go to their well-kept little yellow houses and wait for the next workday to start. Only the occasional security making their rounds (though they mainly stayed in the station, watching the monitors) would walk the empty sidewalks, and one or two janitors sweeping away the remnants of the previous day.

 Ben ventured carefully through the barracks, eyes downcast, listening to the noises of jungle birds and chirping crickets. His dad was, well, ‘unwinding’ after work as usual, so he managed to slip out unnoticed. He needed to get outside anyways, especially since yesterday’s ‘incident’ so it didn’t matter. Ben enjoyed fresh air, especially when he could be alone. He liked people, and liked the warm sunshine, but he preferred to be alone with his thoughts. That, and nature always seemed much more inviting to him. He loved the sounds of the birds and animals, seeing what kinds of lizards and butterflies he could spot, the noises were foreign but interesting.

 Ben passed by a small alleyway between two houses where a small, concrete pathway diverged from the main sidewalk and led the way to a wall along which sat several trash cans, the whole alley lit by a nearby streetlamp. It wouldn’t have been so remarkable, but Ben stopped when he noticed a figure in the alleyway. Not just any figure, someone in a lab coat. Of course, Dharma had their fair share of scientists, but they never wore a lab coat, except for Dr. Chang. Ben stopped to look at the figure, he couldn’t help but be a bit nosy.

 As he inched closer, he could get a better look. The figure in the lab coat was a woman, a very short one at that, with a bob of short brown hair and large coke-bottle glasses. She was scribbling furiously on a clipboard, leaning back against one of the walls. Ben couldn’t help but be curious, Dr. Chang was the only scientist he’d ever seen. He never was one to approach anyone, but his curiosity outweighed his timidity, and he proceeded.

 She didn’t notice him at first, just continued to write furiously. Ben craned his neck to see what she was writing, and he was barely able to catch the words “Incident report” before the woman suddenly jumped, realizing his presence, and snatching the clipboard away out of sight.

 “Oh- Good lord, what are you doing here?” She snapped, looking him over.

 “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Ben mumbled, rocking nervously on his feet, but he didn’t feel intimidated. The woman turned away from him and looked over her writing, not pressing the issue.

 “Are you a scientist?” He pressed, since she didn’t seem mad.

 “I- What? Yeah, I’m a scientist.”

“What do you study? What station?”

 The woman sighed, leaning back against the wall and fishing out a cigarette, but she still didn’t shoo him away as people usually did.

 “Abnormal psychology, I don’t work at a station, I work here.”

 Ben inched forward slightly, standing next to her and watching as she took a long drag on her cigarette. She was surprisingly nice, a little snappy but she wasn’t outright angry at him, which was strange. Ben looked at her jacket, it didn’t have any kind of logo on it, not even a Dharma logo. Plus, it was rather late to be out, why was she outside writing about an ‘incident report’? Though he knew it wasn’t any of his business, Ben couldn’t help but press a little.

 "You work here, in the barracks? I didn’t know there were places to study here.” The woman scoffed a little, puffed on her cigarette, and continued looking at her clipboard. “What’s your name?” He asked.

 “Molly.” She responded, without looking up.

 “Oh, my name is—”

 “I know your name, kid.” Molly put down her clipboard, picking up a mug of cold black coffee on the ground next to her and taking a sip. “Benjamin Linus, you live in house 20.”

 Ben gasped. “How do you know that?” Scientists didn’t study people, did they?

 “I know a lot of things, that’s-“ She paused briefly. “Yeah, that’s my job.”

 “To… study things about people?” Didn’t she say abnormal psychology?

 “Not that simple, it’s pretty complicated—I’m not supposed to even be telling you this.” She chuckled, rubbing her face a little.

 “Oh, sorry.” Ben moved back a little bit, nervous, but curious. Questions spun in his head. He looked up as Molly waved her hand dismissively, spitting out the cigarette butt and crushing it with her heel.

 “Whatever, it’s not like you’re going to go around telling everyone classified information, eh?”

 Though she was joking, Ben responded by shaking his head with a serious expression. “No ma’am.”

 She gave him a look he couldn’t quite decipher. “Right, whatever. What are you doing out here anyways?”

Ben shuffled uncomfortably. “Just walking.”

 “It’s late, it’s like 10—why are you walking late at night?” Molly picked up her coffee and clipboard. She squinted at him a little, and Ben self-consciously touched his face, wincing as he touched his black eye. _Oh._ No wonder she was looking at him. Molly turned to exit the alley, but startled suddenly, dropping her clipboard. Ben started as well, whirling around to see someone else standing there. A tall, dark-haired man with a drawn face in a lab coat, carrying his own clipboard.

 “Molly.”

 “D-Doctor Winston.” Molly quickly adjusted herself. Ben’s eyes drifted to the clipboard on the ground. Under the words ‘Incident Report’, was a few written sentences.

 “Involved: Benjamin Linus, Roger Linus

 Incident Type: Domestic

 Repeat offense: 15  
 Location and Time: Grid 16, February 16th, 1974”

 Ben froze upon seeing the information, but Molly yanked the clipboard from his sight and stood back up. She nodded to Ben and hurriedly walked by Doctor Winston. Ben felt his heart catch in his chest slightly, he wanted to move and leave but he felt frozen in place. The Doctor looked him up and down, before beginning to walk away.

 “Put some ice on that eye, kid.” He said dismissively over his shoulder.

 “Y-yes sir.” Ben stammered weakly, standing awkwardly in place before turning and walking back home.


End file.
